Do Good Work. Work and Live Intentionally.

My Projects

01/16/2014

8 years! Who would have thought that I would keep posting year after year. When I started blogging it was just a way to share small projects that we were doing. My goal was to share my little slice of life and work. That is still the goal.

8 Reasons Why After 8 Years I'm Still Blogging

I want to share my unique view of life in a tiny house; living a relentlessly authentic life.

I want to help small businesses and small towns do better at what they do every single day.

I want to explore what makes me excited and have the desire to share that with the big wide world.

I want to inspire myself, motivate myself, and grow as a person.

I want to build community through a common thread.

I want to connect to a larger world while living in a rather isolated location.

I want to become a better storyteller, writer, and communicator.

I want to make more connnections for myself, my business skills, and other people.

It feels good to say I have been doing this for 8 years. It also feels good to know I have been doing it my own way. I haven't tried to morph my blog into something it isn't. If you read this blog you are meeting me exactly where I am. I don't pretend to be something I'm not - this is the real deal and I am so happy to be here!

11/12/2013

I have wanted to find the time to work on my OWN stuff for sometime, but because of the multitude of client work that I have (I am blessed) and the nonprofit I direct there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to further my own work. I know from years in the corporate machine that doing projects for others over the long term can be financially or career fulfilling, but it can be soul draining. I also know that I am completely dedicated to working. Yes, some might see that as being a workaholic, but I get supreme fulfillment from seeing my vision and ideas executed. Some people work hard, play hard as a friend would say; I work hard, work hard.

The idea I had was to find a retreat cabin in the woods, invite a group of other highly motivated women to share the expense, share the cooking and work for the whole weekend. We would work throughout the day and then come back together in the evening to either share what we did or just enjoy each others company.

I direct messaged a group of these high rolling women on Facebook, shared the vision and waited to see if they would be interested.

Crickets.

Then I messaged my friend and former intern, asking her to chime in. I figured if she was into it, and explained it more fully, she could get the conversation started.

It worked.

They wanted this. They wanted it badly. We started looking at locations we could rent. I started asking friends for empty second homes. It wasn’t until one of our tribe asked her in-laws that we found our blessed location. A masterpiece in design and a transcendent location.

The date was chosen, the group figured out who could come, the cooking assignments decided upon, and the anticipation grew.

Six women who desperately wanted some time to do their own shit gathered in the woods with three beautiful dogs, chickens, goats, a gorgeous home, a bunkhouse, and 245 acres to work our hearts out starting Friday night through Sunday morning.

My goal was to flesh out two book concepts, create a monthly blog theme, knock out five blog posts, install software, flesh out an editorial calendar, and review my email newsletter strategy - 48 hours of awesome.

We may not be solving world peace or even making tremendous progress on our personal projects, but we are here making time for ourselves which, among women, seems to be lacking. Putting our own personal, creative, or work forward often gets lost in the must do of life; this act of taking the time feels risky and wonderful.

I had a mini panic attack on the way out knowing that I wouldn't be doing paid or “real” work and instead working only on my own stuff. I’ve never taken a weekend or even a day to do that. It feels like the floor is shifting and my heart is filling with self care - it is a good thing.

Sure, some people wouldn’t want to spend the weekend working. That doesn’t sound like “vacation” to them. It doesn’t to me either, but it does feel special and risky. It feels cutting edge and a little wild. It feels like the most important thing, right now, is whatever I want to be the most important thing and that is an amazing idea.

Cheers to us for being brave and deciding to run with the dogs for a weekend, not knowing where that was going to lead us.

Do you hunger for your own time to work on whatever ideas are spinning in your mind, but get distracted by the everyday in your home. Connect with some folks and find a way to gather together on a weekend. It's a pretty amazing experience and anyone can make this happen. Need help? Leave a comment and let's see how you can go run with dogs (or do whatever you need to get your own stuff done!)

10/14/2013

Since I started my free 30 Day Challenge Facebook group #30DayChallenge (you can join, just send me an email to jacquelinewolven at gmail dot com) I have done two challenges to varying success and will start a new challenge tomorrow. What is more important than being a total rock star is what I have learned and am learning along the way. I'm sure there is a deep quote here...

First 30 Day Challenge - Sit, Move, Write for at least 20 minutes. This challenge was a failure at actually doing the things. What I realized was that having the three things, which seems easy, was actually too many components. I would do one or two, but barely ever hit the trifecta! It was the month that I learned small and impactful was more important.

Second 30 Day Challenge - Sit everyday. My meditation practice is something I have wanted to be more regular at doing and this challenge seemed open enough, no time or way of doing it, and simple enough to conquer. What I realized is that I fight my own good interests. When I, in my head, said I was too busy to sit for 10 minutes sometime during the day I didn't do it and I felt disconnected and uncentered most of the day. When I just did it, without putting myself through the objections of not doing it, it was really wonderful. Lesson learned was that I have to get over all the justifications why I can't do something and just do it - even when I don't want to, don't think I have enough time, or aren't feeling the immediate benefits.

My next 30 Day Challenge will be doing 100 crunches a day. It isn't about having flat abs or even being great at doing crunches, but instead is about challenging myself to do this small action everyday for my health. I am traveling a lot during this 30 day period so I wanted to pick something that I could do anywhere and with just a bit of floor I can do these. Right now 100 is hard, but I assume by the end of the month that will be simple.

Do you want to get in on a 30 Day Challenge? It is free, the group is super helpful, and you will be amazed at what you learn about yourself. Email me at jacquelinewolven at gmail dot com and I will add you to the free Facebook group.

Jacqueline Wolven @jackiewolven is a small business/small town marketing, simplicity lifestyle expert, inspiring speaker and consultant. Featured in Real Simple and TinyBuddha. Find out more.